Polish Instagram users can read the start of new books for free

Followers of @storygram_empik recieved the first chapter of an upcoming book for free via posts in their feed.

The rise in online activity has contributed to a troubling decline in people reading for pleasure. The interactivity and immediacy of smartphones may offer readers something that a paperback cannot, but now we’re seeing numerous initiatives which use these very features to encourage literacy and win back readers.

Last year we wrote about Massively — an interactive storytelling platform that gets readers to text with the characters, and now, Poland’s largest book retailer Empik have launched the #storygram campaign — promoting upcoming books by sharing the first chapters via Instagram.

Followers of @storygram_empik recieved the first chapter of an upcoming book in their feed. Each post consists of a few lines of captivating text to spark their interest. The story was shared with readers in proper sequence and users were able to share and like them easily across social media sites, bringing the book to the attention of others.

The bookstore hopes the literacy campaign will help to drive book sales. Are there other innovative ways of sharing snippets of books online?